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To conserve the countryside, by March 2011, 44,239 hectares (about 40 % of Hong Kong's total land area) had been designated as country parks and special areas. The Department manages all 24 country parks and 22 special areas for conservation, recreation, education and tourism. Hiking trails, nature trails, barbecue and picnic sites, camp sites and visitor centres are provided in the country parks, drawing some 13.2 million visitors in 2010-11.
The Department manages four marine parks and one marine reserve for conservation, recreation, education and scientific studies, covering 2,430 hectares. They comprise scenic coastal areas, seascapes and important marine habitats with an abundance of interesting marine fauna and flora, providing ideal opportunities for diving, snorkelling, canoeing and underwater photography. Some 236, 800 visitors to marine parks were recorded in 2010-11.
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To better preserve and manage the geological resources within the Hong Kong National Geopark, five geologically important sites, namely Double Haven, High Island, Sharp Island, the Ung Kong Group and the Ninepin Group, covering 235 hectares were designated as special areas on January 1, 2011. Located in the Northeast New Territories, the geology of the Double Haven Special Area is characterised by sedimentary rocks of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The other four special areas are located in the Sai Kung district, and their geology is characterised by volcanic rocks of the Cretaceous period.
After the designation, the five special areas are under the control and management of the Country and Marine Parks Authority, and regulated by the Country Parks and Special Areas Regulations.
During the year, 45 hill fires occurred over an area of 897 hectares with 28,800 trees damaged within or adjacent to country parks. There were a few major fires in Shing Mun Country Park, Lam Tsuen Country Park and Pat Sin Leng Country Park. Rehabilitation planting programme in areas damaged by hill fires and various fire prevention measures have been implemented.
Some 700,000 seedlings were planted in 2010-11. To enrich local plant diversity, the Department continued to produce and plant seedlings of native tree species. Major native species planted included Castanopsis (Castanopsis fissa), Chinese Hackberry (Celtis sinensis), Gordonia (Gordonia axillaris), Sweet Gum (Liquidambar formosana), Zhejiang Machilus (Machilus chekiangensis), Many-nerved Machilus (Machilus pauhoi) and Chinese Gugertree (Schima superba). Among all seedlings planted, 66% were native species.
Seedlings are produced in Tai Tong Nursery for tree planting in country parks. Located in Tai Lam Country Park with an area of 9.5 hectares, the nursery produces over 650,000 seedlings of more than 100 species annually.
In the early years, exotic pioneer species such as Taiwan Acacia (Acacia confusa), Brisbane Box (Lophostemon confertus) and Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii) were planted to prevent soil erosion and to quickly restore vegetation cover. This objective has been achieved with sustained efforts in the last few decades.
However, many of the existing plantations in country parks are facing problems such as aging, withering and overgrowing. Trees species found within the plantations are monotonous comprising of mainly exotic species, making it difficult for them to fully satisfy the needs of native wildlife for food and shelters, thus considered unattractive to local wildlife. In addition, the trees aged simultaneously in the plantations, hindering the sustainable development of the woodland habitats. The dense canopies of the trees, as a result of the rapid growth, have blocked the natural propagation and growth of native trees. The landscape of the plantations also appears to be monotonous. The ecological value of the plantations could hardly be further enhanced. Therefore, the Department launched the Country Park Plantation Enrichment Scheme (the Scheme) at the end of 2009 to enrich the overall value of country park plantations. The objectives of the Scheme are as follows:
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| (i) |
To improve the ecological habitat of the plantation areas; |
| (ii) |
To increase the biodiversity of both local flora and fauna; |
| (iii) |
To allow healthy growth and sustainable development of the woodlands; |
| (iv) |
To provide seeds of native trees; |
| (v) |
To enhance the landscape of the country park plantation areas, and |
| (vi) |
To reduce the chance of pest outbreaks. |
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During the dry season of 2010, 18 sites were engaged under the Scheme and about 6,700 exotic trees in poor conditions were removed. Suitable native tree seedlings were in-planted in the plantation areas in the following planting season of 2011. It is expected that the newly planted seedlings would gradually establish in the thinned woodland, and eventually replacing all the exotic species in the long run. The Department will continue to carry out the Scheme in the coming years to improve all plantations in country parks systematically with an aim to enhance the overall ecological value of the country parks.
A geopark is a unique natural area with special geological significance, as well as natural and cultural landscapes, serving the objectives of conservation, education and sustainable development. Hong Kong National Geopark was opened on November 3, 2009 to protect the rich geological resources and their high research, tourism and scenic value in Hong Kong.
On March 11, 2011, Hong Kong National Geopark signed a sister arrangement with Germany’s Global Geopark Bergstasse-Odenwald. It is the fifth Global Geopark forming a sister relationship with Hong Kong National Geopark. With the support of the mainland authorities, the Government is preparing to apply for membership to the Global Geoparks Network under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The Geo-hub at Lions Nature Education Centre in Tsiu Hang, Sai Kung opened in September 2010 merges the Geopark Visitor Centre, Rock Academy, Rock Classroom and Preparation Room for rock, mineral and fossil specimens.
Filled with interactive elements, the Geopark Visitor Centre introduces the geological history of Hong Kong in an accessible manner. The Rock Academy is Hong Kong’s first outdoor display of 28 large specimens of local rocks. It is a comprehensive array of Hong Kong’s major volcanic, granitic and sedimentary rocks, for visitors to see and touch. The Rock Classroom is an activity room for primary and secondary school students to learn about rocks. The games and activities give students hands-on experience as they learn about the diverse geological features of Hong Kong and increase their awareness of the importance of geo-conservation.
Facility improvement works were carried out at the geo-trails in Tung Ping Chau and Sharp Island to better meet visitor needs. Information panels were also added or replaced along the geo-trails in Kat O, Ma Shi Chau, High Island, and Tai Long Wan.
To cope with the rising number of visitors to our Marine Parks, we have adopted a series of measures including more patrols, assigning volunteers to disseminate codes for visitors, arrangement of guided activities and publication of educational materials. Law enforcement action was also stepped up to combat illegal activities.
Nature Appreciation Activities
In 2010-11, the Department produced a series of publications and conducted numerous conservation activities for nearly 390,000 local students, teachers and nature lovers. The Department continued to carry out the Country Parks Education Programme "Nature in Touch" to strengthen the educational resources on nature conservation in country parks. This programme aimed at promoting a better understanding of country parks, biodiversity, flora conservation and geological characteristics in Hong Kong, thus enhancing public awareness of protecting the natural environment. The programme included a series of countryside learning activities for students and nature appreciation activities for the public.
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"Countryside Learning" included educational activities such as Country Parks Orienteering, Nature Appreciation – Practice and Kindergarten Visit. To encourage secondary students to gain insight of various conservation work taking place in country parks, the "Country Parks Reporter Inter-school Competition" was held. The Department produced "Hong Kong Country Parks Education Kit for Secondary Schools" to provide reference materials, suggested teaching activities and worksheets for Biology, Geography and Liberal Studies teachers. Two teachers’ workshops were organised in October 2010. A website for the education kit was also launched in February 2011 and was well-received by the users.
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"Enjoy Hiking" comprised a wide variety of programmes including "CAS Hiking Safety Promotion Day", "Great Outdoors Hong Kong!" and "Hiking and Planting Day" activities. Not only did they serve to introduce the fun of hiking to public, but also to equip people with safety knowledge in mountaineering activities.
Under the Country Park Volunteer Scheme, about 200 volunteers completed basic volunteer training courses during the year and these trained volunteers served some 9,344 man hours in the country parks conservation and education work including publicity events, mobile exhibitions, fixed-point interpretation and hiking route patrols.
In addition, the Department introduced a new mobile application, "Enjoy Hiking", to enhance support services for country park visitors in December 2010. It featured various hiking trails and routes in Hong Kong as well as some hiking safety tips. Users can select suitable routes with reference to their interests, physical fitness and experience to enjoy hiking in the countryside of Hong Kong. The application is available for different mobile operating systems with several language versions and can be downloaded free of charge through their smartphone service network.
Marine Conservation Education Programme
The Department organised a variety of marine conservation education activities targeting various sectors of the community. During the year, 137 public eco-tours, 14 public seminars, 3 beach clean-up activities, 64 school lectures, 73 exhibitions and 27 other kinds of educational activities were held, benefiting over 81,800 participants.
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The Department launched a pilot scheme of fisheries eco-tourism in collaboration with local fishermen and eco-tourism organsations in 2010-11 with an aim to introduce the culture and practices of fisherman communities as well as the ecological and geological features of Hong Kong to the public through marine-based guided tours. It is hoped that the fishermen can gain the experience and skills needed to run the business in a commercially sustainable manner in the future. A total of 114 school tours and 6 teacher workshops were held in Sai Kung and north-eastern New Territories with over 3,000 students and teachers participating. Over 70 fishermen have been trained in this scheme.
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"Hong Kong Marine Wonders – Paper-cutting Competition" was co-organised by the Department and the Chinese Arts Papercutting Association in 2010 to enhance the public awareness and understanding of the importance of marine conservation. The competition was well received with over 400 entries. A roving exhibition of the winning entries was held at the Hong Kong Central Library, Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the lobbies of Cheung Sha Wan and North Point Government Offices.
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Park wardens patrol country parks and special areas on a regular basis to provide visitor services and to enforce the Country Parks Ordinance and related legislation. In 2010-11, 973 offenders were prosecuted or given a fixed penalty notice. Among these, a total of 397 offenders were given a fixed penalty notice for littering or spitting. Statistics are at Appendix 12. Park wardens and nature wardens also conducted frequent special operations in the country parks, such as searching for illegal animal traps, visiting villages for the promotion of fire prevention, enforcing prohibition of feeding wild animals and assisting the Police in search-and-rescue exercises. Regular joint operations with the Police were undertaken to combat crimes, such as illegal felling of Buddhist Pines and Incense Trees.
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In our marine parks and reserve, wardens patrol on a daily basis, paying special attention to any illegal fishing activities. Close liaison is also maintained with the Marine Police and the Fisheries Authority of Shenzhen to combat illegal fishing by Mainland fishermen in marine parks. Wardens give advice or warnings to visitors and institute prosecutions when necessary. In 2010-11, 25 prosecutions were instituted against illegal fishing activities in marine parks.
Reef Check
The Department coordinated the annual Reef Check in collaboration with the Reef Check Foundation. During the year, 33 coral sites were surveyed with the assistance of over 520 volunteer divers. Twenty-one of these coral sites recorded high coral cover (i.e. more than 50%) and the growth of corals at all sites was stable. Results of the Reef Check were publicised to enhance public awareness of the current status of our marine environment and to seek the public's cooperation in protecting our valuable marine resources. The findings also provided the Department with important information on the health status of corals so that appropriate action could be taken to protect them.
Conservation of Corals
Specially-designed marker buoys were installed at Ung Kong Wan, Sharp Island and Port Island for better protection of corals from anchoring damage. Regular sea patrols and underwater ecological surveys were also conducted to monitor the effectiveness of the coral marker buoys in these areas. The results to date are encouraging. There has been an overall increase in live coral cover in the marker buoy area. Damaged corals have shown signs of recovery.
Conservation of Marine Mammals
There are at least 2,500 dolphins living in the Pearl River Estuary including about 1,300-1,500 dolphins living in the eastern part of the Pearl River Estuary and Hong Kong waters. About 200 dolphins of this population live in the western waters of Hong Kong around Lantau Island, Tuen Mun, Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau. The Department has been implementing a Conservation Programme for the Chinese white dolphin since 2000. Tasks include habitat protection and management, long-term monitoring of the dolphin population, investigation of dolphin stranding, promotion of public awareness of dolphin conservation, and liaison with the Guangdong authorities to exchange information on the conservation of the species. Variations and trends in abundance of dolphins in Hong Kong waters during recent years are closely monitored.
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Every reported dolphin stranding in Hong Kong was investigated by the Department in collaboration with the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation. Tissue samples from the carcasses were collected for further studies. The Department continued to hold exhibitions and seminars as well as to distribute posters and leaflets to promote conservation awareness, and publicise the code of conduct on dolphin watching and the dolphin stranding hotline. Through these efforts, the public gradually deepened their understanding of marine mammals.
The 2010 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Chinese White Dolphin Drawing Competition was successfully completed with over 6,000 entries. This was the first cross-boundary activity jointly organised by AFCD, the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Guangdong Oceanic and Fisheries Administration, and the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau of Macao to promote public awareness on conservation of dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary.
The Department regularly provides comments and advice on development proposals and projects as well as Environmental Impact Assessment studies to ensure that potential impacts of development projects on the marine environment and ecology would be adequately addressed, evaluated and minimised through effective mitigation.
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